New study attempts to evaluate car ownership costs across the UK.

Durham has been named the cheapest U.K. city to own a car, while Westminster in London remains the most expensive.  

Motor city 

Research, conducted by car insurance provider A-Plan Insurance, has calculated the average price of petrol, parking, car insurance and an MOT across the nation.

Each city was then given a score of 100, with the highest being the cheapest.  

 

U.K. Cities   Cheapest price score 
Durham  82.4 
Stoke on Trent  69.0 
Inverness  67.5 
Lancaster  66.5 
Preston  66.3 
Stirling  65.3 
Sheffield  63.0 
Hereford  62.9 
Wakefield  62.5 
Kingston-Upon-Hull  62.1 

 

U.K. Cities   Most expensive price score 
Westminster  21.4 
London  24.4 
Brighton & Hove  34.7 
Winchester  38.4 
Chelmsford  40.4 
Canterbury  40.7 
Cambridge  1.7 
Oxford  42.0 
Bath  42.4 
Southampton  43.0 

 

Cheaper up North

1st: Durham is the cheapest U.K. city to own a car; ranking considerably higher than any other, with a total price score of 82.4.

The average price of petrol, for example, costs 136p per litre in Durham, the lowest price across the nation. Additionally, the average price of car insurance in this city is £731, more than £300 less than the national average.   

2nd: Stoke on Trent is the second cheapest city to own a car, with a total price score of 69.0.

Here, petrol costs 139p per litre on average. The city also has the lowest parking costs of £2 per hour – tying with Durham, Stirling and Kingston-Upon-Hull.  

3rd: Inverness, with a total price score of 67.5.

The average price of petrol comes in at 139p per litre. This city also has the lowest average price of car insurance at £607 per year.  

4th: Lancaster has been named the fourth cheapest U.K. city to own a car.

This location has a total price score of 66.5, and petrol costs 144p per litre. Lancaster also has the cheapest price of an MOT, averaging at £155.  

5th: Preston, with a total score of 66.3.

The average price of petrol comes in at 139p per liter and an MOT is £185, £27 less than the national average.    

Southern sympathies 

Stirling has been named the sixth cheapest city to drive a car. Here, petrol is on the pricier side at 145p per litre, but the city has the second lowest average cost of car insurance at £684 per year.  

 Next is Sheffield, with a total price score of 63.0. On average, petrol costs 140p per litre and an MOT will put you back £173 in this city.  

 Hereford is the eighth cheapest city to own a car. The location has a total price score of 62.9, the price of petrol is 143p per litre and the price of car in insurance is £761 per year.  

 Wakefield has a total price score of 62.5. In this city, petrol costs 141p per litre and parking will cost £3 per hour on average.  

 Kingston-Upon-Hull is the tenth cheapest U.K. city to own a car. The new research has revealed that this city has a total score of 62.1, petrol costs 146p per liter and an MOT is £185.  

Out at sea 

However, the most expensive U.K. cities to own a car are topped off by Westminster and London overall. Perhaps not a great surprise to most, but running in close to the capital is the city often known as ‘London by the sea’ – Brighton & Hove.  This runs a similar result hen it comes to parking costs. Brighton & Hove is consistently  top outside Lon don for local authority income from parking. This undoubtedly skewed these results. The city’s tag line is “The place to be’, but perhaps not if you like driving.

Cost of living planning 

A spokesperson at A-Plan Insurance has commented: “The burgeoning cost of living crisis has caused everyday expenses to rise exponentially, including those associated with owning a car, such as buying petrol. This has affected countless people across the nation, with many cutting back on daily costs to accommodate for this increase.  

 “The data shows that most of the cheapest cities to own a car are in the North, while the South may be spending a larger portion of their wages on their vehicles. This offers people a fascinating insight into petrol, insurance, parking and MOT prices, whether they’re residents of these cities or are considering visiting this spring and summer.”